我本來好耐之前就想寫呢篇文但一直冇寫到。好多人會同你講新加坡係一個好悶嘅地方住，我某程度上同意。人哋會話如果你住喺新加坡，你會變成一個機械人，日日起身返工，然後夜晚好夜先返到屋企，日復一日。喺過去住咗大約8年新加坡之後，我自己都的確覺得好悶。回頭睇，我要多謝新加坡帶俾我人生好多好嘅嘢。

一個喺大學玩耍嘅細路

去新加坡之前，我唔知自己想做乜。好似我嗰代好多高中生一樣，我當時只知道努力讀書。我比其他人都更加唔成熟，因為我連自己鍾意做乜都唔知，更加唔知大學時光有幾重要。我唔appreciate流利外語嘅重要性、終身學習嘅重要性、或者熱誠等等……我只係跟住父母嘅指引努力讀書然後去海外升學。18歲嘅我都唔識計劃人生，亦唔appreciate「財富」、「金錢」呢類字眼。我冇主動揀Engineering讀大學，係佢揀咗我。你大概get到個picture喇。嗰陣即使讀完高中我都仲係好唔成熟，好多方面都好young。我冇inner voice，對自己想做乜冇conviction。我曾經以為律師或者算命佬適合我，只係因為我喺電視見到一啲cool嘅角色。去到新加坡第一年我仍然「young」。我成日打機，冇點留心學校嘅嘢。我只知道學校好悶，engineering唔係我之後想做嘅。我唔知大學點樣可以幫我搵到自己想做嘅嘢。我繼續日頭煲唔同嘅劇集，夜晚同朋友打機。我哋打得幾competitive，仲參加咗學校嘅幾個遊戲比賽。我哋甚至去說服大學俾我哋喺校級搞唔同國家隊伍之間嘅遊戲比賽。奇蹟般我冇fail任何科目，仲keep住full scholarship。回頭睇我都唔相信呢個可以發生。考試之前我啲朋友好擔心我！因為佢哋知我完全冇溫書。如果你嗰時係我嘅lab partner，你一定好frustrated因為我成日走堂唔返lab！

Connecting the dots

所有嘢因為畢業前嘅一連串事件而改變：

• 我偶然遇到「Friends」呢套劇而且好鍾意，鍾意到我真係一個禮拜之內non-stop睇完全部10季。我每日6-7am開始，一直睇到夜晚11pm或者12am。我嗌外賣慳喺學校食堂嘅時間。然後接下來幾年，我反覆重溫「Friends」大概10次（10次，每次全部10季），直到我可以準確知道佢哋講乜然後熄咗聲睇。我開始用英文名「Chandler」因為我太鍾意呢個角色喇！所以你哋好多人認識嘅我就叫Chandler。而且「Friends」大大提升咗我嘅英文水平，因為我嘅listening好咗好多，理解力都improve咗。
• 因為一個「唔知點解」嘅原因，我又偶然遇到一套叫「What the Bleep!?: Down the rabbit hole」嘅戲。我睇咗又重睇咗好多次。睇嘅時候，我發現高中學嘅量子物理原來有用，因為佢幫我由科學角度理解套戲講嘅嘢。我好鍾意呢套戲。佢打開咗我對人生意義嘅視野。

幾年之後，有另一套叫「The Secret」嘅戲。The Secret就好似「What the Bleep Down the Rabbit Hole」嘅簡化版。

• 「7 Habits of Highly Effective People」呢本書：我知呢本係經典，所以我唔講太多。最深深觸動我嘅係想像自己葬禮嘅練習。太profound喇，之前從來冇人咁同我講過。由嗰一刻開始我知道做困難決定時應該用咩標準/指引。由自己葬禮嘅角度回望人生，既liberating又overwhelming！你會清楚知道咩重要咩唔重要。你搵到咗自己嘅inner self！
• 最後但一樣重要嘅係Steve Jobs喺Stanford嘅畢業演講！呢個係transformational嘅、好beautiful而且對我影響深遠。我仲清楚記得嗰日佢講嘅三個故事：「Connecting the dots」、「Love and Loss」同「Death」。由佢嘅演講：「I'm convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle.」

我真係跟住佢嘅advice，畢業後開始做自己鍾意嘅嘢，而唔係試住搵份高薪engineering工作。大學三年級時一個朋友介紹我認識Google Adwords。嗰時Adwords系統同今日比相差十萬八千里。我仲記得我讀嘅第一本ebook之一係Perry Marshall嘅「Definite Guide to Google Adwords」。Adwords嗰時好新，2003、2004年。你同人講，大部分都唔知係乜。可能呢個都係我鍾意佢嘅原因之一，嗰種做先驅者嘅感覺。所以你可以想像當我同父母講我畢業後要加入一間agency，專做Search Engine Marketing，人工只有朋友嘅一半時，佢哋有幾驚。佢哋完全唔知係乜，但同我講如果我鍾意，佢哋就支持。嗰時我唔識display media、email marketing或者digital marketing。我只知Search Engine Marketing似乎好fun，我enjoy做。如果我鍾意，咁就夠喇。

新加坡思維

我唔知點解，但我欠新加坡我嘅思維方式、我對生活嘅態度、我嘅國際視野同好多私人方面嘅嘢。我可以同時用傳統越南思維同西方思維去睇嘢。兩種思維之間有巨大差異。但透過理解兩者，我發現溝通同做事都容易好多。有更國際化嘅視野，我發現終身學習唔止可能而且越嚟越容易。好多嘢你而家可以喺iTunes U搵到。Apple喺教育方面做得好出色，而家我舒舒服服喺屋企就可以睇Stanford、Harvard嘅lectures或者跟其他大學嘅courses。Stanford對創業有好好嘅支持，佢哋嘅Entrepreneurship Corner定期有同世界知名嘅企業家嘅talk。iTunes U嘅courses有lecture notes、homework同好多其他course materials，所以如果你真係想學嘢，有超過夠嘅各種格式材料俾你。總結，我真心感激新加坡帶俾我人生咁多好嘢。我好肯定如果我冇去新加坡、冇喺嗰度住咗大約8年，我就唔會係今日嘅我。我唔會做Digital marketing呢行等等。祝好，Chandler